Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

BERRIEN SPRINGS — When young people from farm families across Berrien County got together 70 and 80 years ago, they likely didn’t realize the impact their Junior Farm Bureau group would have on their own lives, on the community and on future generations.

During their time in the organization, they undertook big projects such as raising money for the construction of the Youth Memorial Building at the Berrien County fairgrounds. They also learned more about agriculture, developed leadership skills, met their future spouses and made lifelong friendships.

Members began the Youth Memorial Building project in 1943 to honor those serving in the military and laid the cornerstone in 1953, completing it a year later. The mortgage burning for the $82,000 structure came in 1961 and the building was sold to the Berrien County Youth Fair Association in 1995.

That connection to the Berrien County Youth Fair Association was recognized one last time last week at the Fair Association’s annual meeting. Junior Farm Bureau member Nancy Wuszke presented a plaque to the association detailing the history of the Junior Farm Bureau and the building of the Youth Memorial Building.

Prior to last week’s Youth Fair Association meeting, the surviving Junior Farm Bureau members who are now in their 80s and 90s held one last reunion dinner in late September at Papa Vino’s restaurant in St. Joseph. People had the chance to reminisce about earlier times when they’d gather for weekly square dances, fundraisers and conferences.

Junior South county residents who belonged to the Berrien County Junior Farm Bureau back in the 1940s and 1950s include Wuszke, Lois Foster, Helen Morlock, Robert Norris, Barb Radewald and Carol Sonnenberg.

     Wuszke grew up on a farm on Range Line Road just south of Berrien Springs. For her, it was about both the social activities and the chance to learn leadership skills and how to run meetings. She credits the organization for giving her the chance to meet her future husband who was from Eau Claire.

Foster also met her future husband at Junior Farm Bureau meetings and they raised their family on a farm just north of Niles. “It was such a nice group of people, we had a lot in common with most of us working on our family farms,” she said.

She noted that members learned about everything from parliamentary procedure to agricultural topics and found ways to have fun at weekly square dances, hayrides and other social events. They also got the chance to broaden their horizons as they traveled to state and national conferences and conventions every year.

Morlock grew up in Buchanan and worked at the Buchanan Co-Ops in high school. Although she didn’t grow up on a farm, she went to the meetings on the urging of a friend.  She said she learned a lot and also met her future husband who was from Coloma. Her favorite memories included going to dances and making new friends.

Norris grew up north of Niles and joined in the late 1940s, later meeting his future wife there. “All the rural kids my age were in it and I wanted to be part of it,” he said. “When we decided to build the Youth Memorial Building, it gave us a purpose. We would grow crops on donated land and have chicken barbecue dinners to raise funds.”

He was one of several alumni who used the knowledge and skills they learned to serve the community in local government and other local, county and state leadership roles. He served for decades on the Berrien Township Board and also received national and state agricultural honors.

Radewald met her late husband through Junior Farm Bureau and they raised their family just north of Niles. She said they enjoyed everything about Junior Farm Bureau, from getting the chance to dress up at special events such as dressing up in formal wear at state conventions to getting the chance to do something for others.

“It was such a dedicated group of young people,” she said. “All of us thought it would be good to do something for the community besides the square dancing and polkas. I’ve always been amazed at how young people in their 20s had the knowledge and foresight to want to have a place where people in the county would have a place to gather.

Sonnenberg also grew up in Buchanan and met her future husband who was from Watervliet. She said what she learned-about farming, how to run a meeting, how to fundraise and how to dance-have stayed with her throughout her life. “It gave farm kids something to do besides farming, it was wonderful,” she said.

While the Berrien County Junior Farm Bureau organization has long since been replaced by other entities serving young people such as Berrien County Young Farmers and even the Berrien County Junior Fair Board, the goals have remained to give youth opportunities and teach leadership skills.

Berrien County Youth Fair manager Karen Klug comes from the Junior Farm Bureau legacy as her parents met and married through the organization and she’s helped start the Junior Fair Board in recent years. Both she and Berrien County Farm Bureau manager Jennie Koebel said young people still love to get together and learn skills they will use for the rest of their lives whether it’s the Junior Fair Board or the Young Farmers.